Device for storing and dispensing material in filament form, such as metal or alloy wire, string or the like



July l1, 1950 E. F. GUEST 2,514,542

DEVICE FOR STORING AND DISPENSING MATERIAL IN FILAMENT FORM, SUCH AS METAL 0R ALLOY WIRE, STRING 0R Tl-E LIKE File@ May 1Q, 1948:

ns. f. F/G 2.

i i i l n Inventor Patented July 11, 1950 DEVICE FOR STORING AND DISPENSING MATERIAL IN FILAMENT FORM, SUCH AS METAL OR ALLOY WIRE, STRING OR THE LIKE Ernest Frederick Guest, Bromley, England, assignor to H. J. Enthoven & Sons Limited, London, England, a British company Application May 10, 1948, Serial No. 26,1016y In Great Britain May 27, 1947v Claims. (Cl. 20G- 56) This invention. relates to the storing and dispensing of material in filament form, such as metal wire, solder wire, string and the like.

The device of the present invention is particularly applicable to the use of solder in wire form. Solder wire is usually stored in considerable length on reels and immediate or daily requirements are drawn oir and severed and used in the bare state. This practice has many disadvantages, among which may be mentioned the high percentage of waste due to discarded ends and inadvertently kinked, dented, or otherwise damaged wire, the ineiciency due to the collection of dirt and grease on the Wire surface, the loss of identication between Wires of different grade and shaped to serve as a handle and having one end l formed or equipped to exercise a resilient restraint on the withdrawal of lengths to suit immediate requirements from a bulk of the material housed in continuous form inside the container in a state easy to unravel. The container is preferably formed of electrically insulating material such as cardboard, or synthetic resins, including transparent material, as when so formed it insulates the user from electrical shock, and,r

also insulates live apparatus being worked upon from Contact through the solder wire with adjacent metallic parts normally at earth potential.

It will be understood that such a device may be used for lamentous material in general and that the resilient restraining means serves to check the withdrawal of the material in unnecessary lengths, also to prevent the free end from recoiling int-o the container, and to prevent the exit crice from becoming frayed or otherwise damaged or enlarged. The device is, however, particularly useful in the storage and dispensing of metal wire, especially solder wire, both cored and solid.

The container is conveniently elongated in form and of a diameter suited to convenient handling between nger and thumb or by grasping in one hand. If cylindrical, the container may be pron vided or formed with means for preventing it from rollin'g'when laid aside. The exit end having a central hole may be formed as a friction or screw-tting cap or it may be tted permanently in position by inwardly turning the adjacent rim of the body Wall.

Ther resilient restraining means at the exit orifice of the device lmay take various forms. A particularly eiiective restraining device is a disc of resiliently flexible material such as rubber pierced bythe Wire close to the exit, such disc clinging to the f wire and being secured to or clamped just beneath the exit end wall of the device. Alternatively, the Wire may be embraced just beneath the end wall of the device by a short length of rubber tubing trapped in position beneath the said end wall.

Containers of different capacity may be provided according to the gauge of the material being stored and the estimated daily requirements of the user, and they may be labelled or otherwise marked to identify the contents. If the container is made of transparent material, the contents and the amount available can always be seen.

The wire itself is preferably stored in the container as a helix or a plurality of co-axial helices one within the other, the length available for immediate use preferably extending axially from the far end, then through the orice and protruding beyond only so far as is convenient for immediate use. The remote end of the coiled length of wire is preferably anchored to the remote end Wall of the device or to an additional or false end wall.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a helix of solder wire housed in a dispensing container according to the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a further modiiication,

The container, preferably made of cardboard, comprises the cylindrical lower portion I with disc-shaped end wall or bottom 2, and the cylindrical lid portion 3 with disc-shaped end wall o1' top 4. 5 is a helix of solder wire, the remote end 6 of which is secured to the bottom disc 2, and the paying-out end 'l ci which passes through a hole in the top 4. On the underside of the top 4 is iixed in any convenient manner. as by glue or cement, a disc 3 of rubber or similar resiliently flexible material, the centre of which is pierced by the wire 5, so that the material f this disc eXerts a resilient restraint on a pull or push exerted on the wire 5, by reason of temporary distortion of the material in the region of its grip on the Wire.

In the modication illustrated in Figure 2 the resilient restraint is exercised by a short length of rubber tubing 8 which embraces the wire5` and is conned between th'etop fdisc 4...' and a supplementary disc 9 spacedth'erefrom; This figure also shows a supplementary'or false bot-- tom disc l0 to which the bottom end of the wire helix is anchored instead of. to-.theA main. bottom disc 2.

Figure 3 is a view of a slight modification in the manner of anchoring the bottom end. ofA the wire helix namely, by being threaded through two holes in the false bottom disc I0.

The drawings illustrate a very convenient construction of containerowing to fewness of parts and ease of assembly and disassembly. It comprises aY liner la, extending from top to bottom of the containenvthe bottom portion I and the top portion 3 being each equal to just over half the length of the liner-and firmly slidable thereon. The end discs 2 and II-.maybe-free, Ibeing normally heldin place by being clamped peripherally between an inturned lip or bead on the adjacent end of each ofthe cylindrical portions l and d and the abuttingv end ofthe lining la. It will thus be understood..that this container consists merely of two equal Acylindrical portions l and 3, two equal endl discs-Zand 4 and a linerla, and that these are easily assembled and-disas sembled and that the end discs are normally `held in position without cement, wire stitches or other fastening means.

It will be understoodfrom the4 -foregoing description that the improved device overcomes the disadvantages hereinbefore mentioned in the l use of wire and. the like drawn` 01Tr and Ysevered from reels carrying wire inlarge bulk. The container keeps the wire clean and protected from damage, it serves as an insulating handle and, if desired, it can easily be fixed in a bench clamp or the like, leaving the operator free to use both hands on the work. The device also enables quantities of Wire of conveniently short length for daily requirements to be transported and stored neatly and inreadiness to be handed out by a storeman, and the wire in eachcontainer can be used up to withinquite a' short distance from its far end, thereby avoiding waste.` Also the wire when laid asideV in a kit-bag is protected from dirt and damage.4 and is readily-identifiable and ready for further use.

What I claim is:

1. A closed containersha-ped to ireceive and act as a handle for manipulating a helically coiled filament such as solder wire the-end. of which is threaded through a hole in the container lid, said container comprising two tubular body portions open at both endsbut having each an in- 4 ternal lip or bead at one end, a pair of discs insertable respectively doWn the interior of the body portions and seating against the said lips or beads, one of said discs having a hole therein, a tubular lining membersubstantially equal in length to the sum of the lengths of the aforesaid two tubular body portions and fitting neatly within them, and a third disc insertable down the 'interior of the' body portion containing the -thebodyportions and the third disc being composed' of resiliently pliable material to exert a drag on the filament when threaded through said hole;

2. A'closed container according to claim 1 having its' parts composed of electrically insulating material.

3. A closed container according to claim 1, havingrits parts composed of transparent material.

4. A closed container according to claim 1, in combination with means foranchoring Ithe nonprotruding end. of the larnent near to the end wall of the body portion having the non-perforated end disc.

5. A closed container shaped to receive and act as a handle for manipulating a helically coiled lamentsuch as solder wire the end of which is threaded through a hole in the container lid, said container. comprising two tubular body portions open at both ends but having each an internal lip or bead at one end, a pair of discs insertable respectively down the interior of the body portions and seating against the said lips or beads, one of said discs havinga hole therein, a tubular lining member substantially equal in length to the sum of the lengths of the aforesaid two tubular body. portions and fitting neatly within them., the discs being held in position by being clamped peripherally between the end rims, of the. lining member'and the internal lips or beads of the body portions, and means located adjacent the said disk having the hole therein for exerting resilient restraint upon the iilament when threaded through said hole.

ERNEST FREDERICK GUEST.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record i-n the file of this patent:

UNrrED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 724,623 Sheldloclr Apr. 7, 1903 736,808 Wooster Aug. 18, 1903 1,631,756 Olin June 7, 1927 1,826,084 Mohr Oct. 6, 1931 1,974,862 Cryan Sept. 25, 1934 2,035,930 Strong Mar. 31, 1936 2,372,859 Sparks Apr. 3, 1945 

1. A CLOSED CONTAINER SHAPED TO RECEIVE AND ACT AS A HANDLE FOR MANIPULATING A HELICALLY COILED FILAMENT SUCH AS SOLDER WIRE THE END OF WHICH IS THREADED THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CONTAINER LID, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING TWO TUBULAR BODY PORTIONS OPEN AT BOTH ENDS BUT HAVING EACH AN INTERNAL LIP OR BEAD AT ONE END, A PAIR OF DISCS INSERTABLE RESPECTIVELY DOWN THE INTERIOR OF THE BODY PORTIONS AND SEATING AGAINST THE SAID LIPS OR BEADS, ONE OF SAID DISCS HAVING A HOLE THEREIN, A TUBULAR LINING MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE SUM OF THE LENGTHS OF THE AFORESAID TWO TUBULAR BODY PORTIONS AND FITTING NEATLY 